EcoFlow R600

[amaclach]

OK - So I received my R600 Pro today. I haven't really done much with it except charge it up (it charged from the wall socket at about 750 watts, which is insane).
I tried to fire up the app and register (why is this necessary?) and the app from google play is broken - it looks like it has no permissions and can't access any networks. It's giving a 401 error, so I can't configure the R600... Great start.
On google play, there's a bunch of 1* reviews saying the same thing. I tried the APK download from their site (there is a QR code in the manual) - file not found...
I have emailed their support address - let's see what comes of this... Not impressed so far.

 

[Will Prowse]

OK - So I received my R600 Pro today. I haven't really done much with it except charge it up (it charged from the wall socket at about 750 watts, which is insane).
I tried to fire up the app and register (why is this necessary?) and the app from google play is broken - it looks like it has no permissions and can't access any networks. It's giving a 401 error, so I can't configure the R600... Great start.
On google play, there's a bunch of 1* reviews saying the same thing. I tried the APK download from their site (there is a QR code in the manual) - file not found...
I have emailed their support address - let's see what comes of this... Not impressed so far.

Mine is still dead. It turns on for 10 seconds, then turns off.

Yeah, that app is a pain in the butt. I don't understand the need to register either.

 

[Davee]

Has anyone looked closely at the cable that links the Pro to the EF1500? I'm wondering if it would be possible to parallel connect two EF1500 with a modified cable as Ecoflow have said they can't be paralleled using the 24v terminals.

 

[amaclach]

So I've been using the R600 Pro to power my home office for the last 5 days and it seems to be working just fine.
I bought the option with 2 x 110W panels, so I just laid them out on the roof ouside my home office window. They are decent panels. My only criticism would be that the lead from the panels to the R600 is pretty short.
Having finally got the updated app off google play, I can see a few things of interest.
1) via the logs, it looks like it can accept charge via USB-C PD (although that will be slow)
2) the max charge level is configurable to extend the battery life - I've set mine to 80% This is a nice feature if you're planning on using it as a basic UPS or even for day to day use like I am. It's using LFP batteries, but it's still nice to have that option.

I tried it with my large chest freezer and large kitchen fridge-freezer but it overloaded. I guess that was the startup current as the compressors started. I wonder if there is some kind of 240v plugin soft start device available?

 

[Davee]

So I've been using the R600 Pro to power my home office for the last 5 days and it seems to be working just fine.
I bought the option with 2 x 110W panels, so I just laid them out on the roof ouside my home office window. They are decent panels. My only criticism would be that the lead from the panels to the R600 is pretty short.
Having finally got the updated app off google play, I can see a few things of interest.
1) via the logs, it looks like it can accept charge via USB-C PD (although that will be slow)
2) the max charge level is configurable to extend the battery life - I've set mine to 80% This is a nice feature if you're planning on using it as a basic UPS or even for day to day use like I am. It's using LFP batteries, but it's still nice to have that option.

I tried it with my large chest freezer and large kitchen fridge-freezer but it overloaded. I guess that was the startup current as the compressors started. I wonder if there is some kind of 240v plugin soft start device available?

The first video I remember Ecoflow putting out showed 2 R600 linked via USB C so at some point they planned for it to take an input. I thought they did away with that in favour of the x-link cables. Which apparently retail won't have so maybe retail will link via USB C. Could you try charging it via USB C and see if it takes an input? Slow charging from AC appears to be capped at 110w and keeps the fans on. If it were possible to charge via 100w DC with the fans off it would be useful for some people who overnight charge in close vicinity to the device. Some people are more comfortable being closer to a charging device in the event of a fire.

 

[amaclach]

The first video I remember Ecoflow putting out showed 2 R600 linked via USB C so at some point they planned for it to take an input. I thought they did away with that in favour of the x-link cables. Which apparently retail won't have so maybe retail will link via USB C. Could you try charging it via USB C and see if it takes an input? Slow charging from AC appears to be capped at 110w and keeps the fans on. If it were possible to charge via 100w DC with the fans off it would be useful for some people who overnight charge in close vicinity to the device. Some people are more comfortable being closer to a charging device in the event of a fire.

I don't think it does accept a charge from USB-C. It will accept charge from the DC charge port without the fans coming on, but I think it turns them on at about 90w. If you had a wall wart that output less than 90w in the acceptable voltage range (I think 10-24v) that would work. It wouldn't be difficult to create a USB-C PD adapter for it, although the fan isn't that loud, so it might be easier just to charge in quiet mode. Quiet mode should help with battery longevity by charging at a lower c-rate, compared to the 1C fast charge.

 

[Davee]

I don't think it does accept a charge from USB-C. It will accept charge from the DC charge port without the fans coming on, but I think it turns them on at about 90w. If you had a wall wart that output less than 90w in the acceptable voltage range (I think 10-24v) that would work. It wouldn't be difficult to create a USB-C PD adapter for it, although the fan isn't that loud, so it might be easier just to charge in quiet mode. Quiet mode should help with battery longevity by charging at a lower c-rate, compared to the 1C fast charge.

I've tested a 20V USB C trigger soldered onto an XT60 and it seems to do the job. Slow charge and no fan noise.

 

[AussieSim]

I received my R600 Pro + EF1500 to Australia on Thursday, my order was after the kickstarter had closes via the Pledgebox survey.

I assume that means I was at the end of the line after all Kickstarter backers were shipped.

The shipping box and product arrived in good condition, the R600 pro and EF1500 are well made, the latter having a metal outer body. Connecting both together synchronizes them with either ON/OFF button controlling both units.

Charging whilst connected works as expected.

Mine came with a white cloth tote bag, not sure what for, it's too small to fit the R600 Pro inside. Mine also came with 3 countries' AC charge cables.

I haven't tried the app, but don't see any reason to adjust anything. I also haven't tried DC out or 24V terminal output yet.

3.2 * 8 * 30Ah + 3.2 * 8 * 60Ah

 

[AussieSim]

I've done a little more testing

2p 100W Renogy solar panels in series

100 Watt 12 Volt Monocrystalline Solar Panel (Black Frame)

The Renogy 100 Watt 12 Volt Monocrystalline Solar Panel is the perfect item for off-grid applications!

au.renogy.com

Charges the R600 Pro up to 197W on the display, no magic smoke.

Simultaneously R600 Pro + extension cable + EF1500 24V terminals 》 2000W pure sine wave high frequency inverter 》 Delta 1300 AC charging




No problems drawing over 1300W from the EF1500 terminals to an external inverter for 30mins. None of the cables get warm, the EF1500 metal enclosure is cold to touch, the R600 pro fans never spin up.

Efficiency is about 79% and the Delta1300 was at 0% SOC (R600p + EF1500 70%)

Edit : for the first 25mins I had not plugged in the xt60 >1300W power draw

Fully charged the Delta1300 via the EF1500 Terminals : 1260Wh / 0.79 = 1595Wh

 

[albacore]

Hey guys. I have a question about charging an R600 from another DC battery.

I have an R600 Max with the expansion battery and it has a bunch of features I really like. The charge time on a wall outlet is unbelievably fast, the size/weight is impressive, and I'm really happy with the output ports as well.

I'd like to find a way to store more than 576 Wh, however. I'm wondering if it would work to put a larger reservoir battery connected to a separate MPPT between the R600 and the solar panels, and charge the R600 off the larger battery via the XT60 DC input.

The manual says the car charger input capacity is "12V/24V DC 10A max", which sounds like I could get up to 240W DC charging.

I'm thinking that this way I'd get to use the R600 for its output ports and portability, and increase my total energy storage capacity for the relatively modest cost of a reservoir battery and an MPPT.

Is this a dumb idea for some reason, or will it work ok?

If the reservoir battery is 12V, would a 24V / 10A boost converter give me 240W charging on the R600?

Do I need anything else to regulate DC charging, or can I count on the R600 to do the rest?

Thanks for your help!

 

[AussieSim]

Hey guys. I have a question about charging an R600 from another DC battery.

I have an R600 Max with the expansion battery and it has a bunch of features I really like. The charge time on a wall outlet is unbelievably fast, the size/weight is impressive, and I'm really happy with the output ports as well.

I'd like to find a way to store more than 576 Wh, however. I'm wondering if it would work to put a larger reservoir battery connected to a separate MPPT between the R600 and the solar panels, and charge the R600 off the larger battery via the XT60 DC input.

The manual says the car charger input capacity is "12V/24V DC 10A max", which sounds like I could get up to 240W DC charging.

I'm thinking that this way I'd get to use the R600 for its output ports and portability, and increase my total energy storage capacity for the relatively modest cost of a reservoir battery and an MPPT.

Is this a dumb idea for some reason, or will it work ok?

If the reservoir battery is 12V, would a 24V / 10A boost converter give me 240W charging on the R600?

Do I need anything else to regulate DC charging, or can I count on the R600 to do the rest?

Thanks for your help!

The only R600 / EF1500 inputs are the AC charging IEC socket and the XT60 input.

The input cables are the : Car Charge Cable, and Solar Charge Cable (MC4 to XT60 Input).

Whether you can hook up a 12V or 24V battery via a home made XT60 cable is unknown, but you risk destroying the DC input board.

For what it is worth, the PRO KIT is designed exactly for this purpose, but according to the customer facebook posts Ecoflow may not be selling it post kickstarter.

 

[albacore]

Thanks for replying. I learned about the pro kit with the EF1500 expansion battery in this thread, but like you said I'm not aware of any way to get it anymore.

I guess I'm wondering if there's any important difference between a regulated 12V or 24V output from a "reservoir" battery and the other DC charge sources the R600 can accept.

As far as I can tell, a DC battery running through a voltage regulator should be a more consistent charging source than a solar panel, and just as good as a cigarette lighter port. Am I wrong for some reason?

As for cabling I'd probably use the included MC4 to XT60 cable and set up the voltage regulator with the same leads.

 

[albacore]

The only R600 / EF1500 inputs are the AC charging IEC socket and the XT60 input.

The input cables are the : Car Charge Cable, and Solar Charge Cable (MC4 to XT60 Input).

Whether you can hook up a 12V or 24V battery via a home made XT60 cable is unknown, but you risk destroying the DC input board.

For what it is worth, the PRO KIT is designed exactly for this purpose, but according to the customer facebook posts Ecoflow may not be selling it post kickstarter.

View attachment 31046

Just to make sure I understand, from reading the manuals for the Pro Kit and the EF1500 it sounds like the EF 1500 is designed to do more or less what I want to do, but maybe with some additional features.

However it sounds like the Pro Kit is designed to use the R600 Pro as the charge controller for an additional battery bank that does not have its own charge controller. Is that right?

It seems to me that using the R600 to both charge and discharge an expansion battery is a far more complex use case than what I have in mind. What I have in mind is "one way" charging:

Solar panel > MPPT > Reservoir Battery > Voltage Regulator > R600

I can't think of a reason why well-regulated DC voltage into the R600 XT60 port would be harder for the unit to handle than plugging in a solar panel.

I think I'm going to see how it performs with a benchtop power supply. It would be great to find a way to use the terrific output capacity/ports of the R600 with a larger energy reserve.

If I'm misunderstanding something I'd be glad to get additional advice. I'd definitely prefer not to burn out my R600 doing something dumb.

 

[AussieSim]

Just to make sure I understand, from reading the manuals for the Pro Kit and the EF1500 it sounds like the EF 1500 is designed to do more or less what I want to do, but maybe with some additional features.

However it sounds like the Pro Kit is designed to use the R600 Pro as the charge controller for an additional battery bank that does not have its own charge controller. Is that right?

It seems to me that using the R600 to both charge and discharge an expansion battery is a far more complex use case than what I have in mind. What I have in mind is "one way" charging:

Solar panel > MPPT > Reservoir Battery > Voltage Regulator > R600

I can't think of a reason why well-regulated DC voltage into the R600 XT60 port would be harder for the unit to handle than plugging in a solar panel.

I think I'm going to see how it performs with a benchtop power supply. It would be great to find a way to use the terrific output capacity/ports of the R600 with a larger energy reserve.

If I'm misunderstanding something I'd be glad to get additional advice. I'd definitely prefer not to burn out my R600 doing something dumb.

Ecoflow have made some strange decisions, like dropping the LiFePO4 kickstarter line completely and replacing it with a Lithium ion "River 600 Pro" that doesn't have X-link.

The EF1500 And the PRO KIT can charged and discharged from the R600 pro via the expansion cable, but only at 200W (charge) and 750W (discharge)

On the other hand the EF1500 has 24V output terminals that are rated to 1500W. The EF1500 also has a xt60 MPPT built in.

There are several people on the FB group experimenting with the XT60 input, don't mix up the pos/neg ?, and it should work.

 

[albacore]

Thanks, that's all helpful. I think I get it and I'm going to give it a shot. I'll start by testing with a benchtop power supply and post results later.

I'm with you on strange decisions. Some of the basic features seem like they are best in class (charge time, A/C output, port availability, modular capacity) at a super competitive price, but they've put a ton of focus on stuff like X-Link and UPS functionality that's not quite ready for prime time.

 

[albacore]

Ok I did some testing with a bench top power supply and a Bluetti AC100.

The R600 seems to accept a maximum of 107W on DC charging. From about 13-20V it maintains 107W pretty steadily, accepting less current as the voltage increases.

Below 13V and above 20V charging performance was variable, occasionally shutting down to zero and spiking above 107W but generally staying below 100W or even 50W. I didn't let it stay in this state for long.

After the bench test I charged the R600 from about 65% to 100% using the 12V DC port on a Bluetti AC100, which I think is voltage regulated at 13.6V. The R600 charged at 107W the entire time.

So I think this is a pretty promising use case: charge a large reservoir battery off of solar, charge the R600 off of the reservoir, and use the R600 for AC and DC output and extra portability.

As a side note, the R600 seems to output proportionally more energy than the AC100. The AC100 has a nominal capacity of 1000Wh, 1.7x the R600 max, but it probably only provides about 1.3x total usage time for comparable loads. If any of you knows the reason for this I'd be interested to learn more.

Thanks!

PS- One last note: 107W seems like enough for this to work for me, but it's way below the "24V / 12V DC 10A car charging" quoted in the manual. Ecoflow really seems intent on raising false expectations and not delivering, rather than just describing the really strong qualities of their product. So I'm happy with the unit, but the manual is a letdown.

 

[Davee]

Ok I did some testing with a bench top power supply and a Bluetti AC100.

The R600 seems to accept a maximum of 107W on DC charging. From about 13-20V it maintains 107W pretty steadily, accepting less current as the voltage increases.

Below 13V and above 20V charging performance was variable, occasionally shutting down to zero and spiking above 107W but generally staying below 100W or even 50W. I didn't let it stay in this state for long.

After the bench test I charged the R600 from about 65% to 100% using the 12V DC port on a Bluetti AC100, which I think is voltage regulated at 13.6V. The R600 charged at 107W the entire time.

So I think this is a pretty promising use case: charge a large reservoir battery off of solar, charge the R600 off of the reservoir, and use the R600 for AC and DC output and extra portability.

As a side note, the R600 seems to output proportionally more energy than the AC100. The AC100 has a nominal capacity of 1000Wh, 1.7x the R600 max, but it probably only provides about 1.3x total usage time for comparable loads. If any of you knows the reason for this I'd be interested to learn more.

Thanks!

PS- One last note: 107W seems like enough for this to work for me, but it's way below the "24V / 12V DC 10A car charging" quoted in the manual. Ecoflow really seems intent on raising false expectations and not delivering, rather than just describing the really strong qualities of their product. So I'm happy with the unit, but the manual is a letdown.

Honestly it sounds like yours is defective. Ecoflow were quite clear the XT60 is 200W max input. It'll accept anything from 10-25V as an input and it doesn't have to be stable as the MPPT is capable enough to deal with changing solar conditions. I can't actually remember if the maximum current it'll take is 10 or 12A. I can max my R600 pro DC input with a 19.5V 240W Dell laptop power supply.

 

[albacore]

Honestly it sounds like yours is defective. Ecoflow were quite clear the XT60 is 200W max input. It'll accept anything from 10-25V as an input and it doesn't have to be stable as the MPPT is capable enough to deal with changing solar conditions. I can't actually remember if the maximum current it'll take is 10 or 12A. I can max my R600 pro DC input with a 19.5V 240W Dell laptop power supply.

Well that's good to know. I guess it's time to contact EcoFlow support (again). Maybe I'm not as happy with this as I thought.

 

[albacore]

Honestly it sounds like yours is defective. Ecoflow were quite clear the XT60 is 200W max input. It'll accept anything from 10-25V as an input and it doesn't have to be stable as the MPPT is capable enough to deal with changing solar conditions. I can't actually remember if the maximum current it'll take is 10 or 12A. I can max my R600 pro DC input with a 19.5V 240W Dell laptop power supply.

Ok, after checking with Ecoflow support it turns out the issue was that I had quiet charging turned on. Now I'm getting 200W in MPPT mode again and I'm back to being happy with the unit. I just wish the documentation on DC charging was better.

What I learned about DC charge modes:

Quiet charging mode: limits DC input to ~100-110W to keep fan from engaging

MPPT mode:
- 200W max power input
- 22V-27V voltage range at max power input
- current varies to keep input at max
- variable current/voltage below 22V
- max power draw would probably work below 22V if my power supply could do more than 10A

Adapter mode:
- 8.4 A constant current
- 10V-16V voltage range
- variable power input
- 6.8A low current mode, not sure what triggers this

Auto mode:
- toggles between MPPT and Adapter modes
- power input seems more consistent if you choose the right mode for the input voltage range

I guess I'm pretty happy with the unit again, I just wish the documentation was better.

 

[Davee]

Ok, after checking with Ecoflow support it turns out the issue was that I had quiet charging turned on. Now I'm getting 200W in MPPT mode again and I'm back to being happy with the unit. I just wish the documentation on DC charging was better.

What I learned about DC charge modes:

Quiet charging mode: limits DC input to ~100-110W to keep fan from engaging

MPPT mode:
- 200W max power input
- 22V-27V voltage range at max power input
- current varies to keep input at max
- variable current/voltage below 22V
- max power draw would probably work below 22V if my power supply could do more than 10A

Adapter mode:
- 8.4 A constant current
- 10V-16V voltage range
- variable power input
- 6.8A low current mode, not sure what triggers this

Auto mode:
- toggles between MPPT and Adapter modes
- power input seems more consistent if you choose the right mode for the input voltage range

I guess I'm pretty happy with the unit again, I just wish the documentation was better.

I knew the 107w cap sounded familiar but I completely forgot that's the quiet charge option. Sorry.